There's no need for those <new> tags beside threads as you could already tell which had new replies by the bold titles.

They're not just tags; they're links that take you to the newest post you haven't yet read. I find them insanely useful, and I'm very glad that this forum finally enabled the feature. We can quibble about the graphics, but it's the functionality that's important.

EDIT: and of course as soon as I post that, they're gone. That's what I get for opening a tab and not reading it for over an hour. To the control panel I go! =D

I re-enabled the "new" links. I've actually been wanting these links for a long time, but I never took the time to investigate how to enable them (since you need to edit a long, difficult-to-read file).